Sooo many changes coming, so many changes that have happened, that I decided to post a post, talking about what’s going, what’s coming, and what’s happening right this second, mostly so that I can pat myself on the back for being so absolutely amazingly awesome.
The Podcast
The podcast name has been changed from Comfortably, Uncomfortable Conversations, to Stay Lifted Sis. And the reason for that is both simple and not simple.
First off all the name was super long, like SUPER unnecessarily Long, but it was a manifested name. It was a name I chose when I was in Winnipeg being asked what kind of show I wanted to do, I wanted to do a show that talked about all the things we DON’T talk about, and I STILL want to do that, but God Damnit I do NOT want to be fucking miserable all the time.
Honestly the show was great, it served it’s purpose and it gave me a sense that I could create something, and create a space where people felt comfortable sharing their stories, HOWEVER, it was also draining as all get out. After every single episode I felt exhausted, largely because the conversations were ALWAYS about dealing with trauma.
That was the point at first, I needed to know that I wasn’t alone, I know that now, and so I can move on.
I am super excited to announce the beginning of a new phase of podcasting for me as I move into the Stay Lifted Sis theme and I am even more excited to see how that theme is going to manifest into my own life outside of Loud Mouth Brown Girl.
Stay Lifted Sis is going to still be about mental health, and dealing with trauma, but we’re also going to talk about the moments. The moments that made people think “I can do this, I can keep going,” even when they want to give up. We’re going to talk about signs, inspiration, hope, and the excitement of seeing your dream become a reality.
I can’t name guests yet but I am excited to say that there are some really cool stories that we’re going to tell. We do have one woman who owns her own moving company on the Island, a marketing expert, as well as a woman who gets to make dog treats and play with dogs….FOR A LIVING. What?!
The Clothing Line – #604North
When I started 604North I needed a name, and so I picked 604 for the area code that I live in, and North because I live in North Surrey. I really hate a lot about this town, some of the people are really awful and have remained awful to me specifically, HOWEVER, it’s the bright spots of this town that make sense to me. It’s standing in the center of Green Timbers forest which is located in the heart of the city, and feeling like you’re in the middle of nowhere.
Its Bear Creek where I found my first staff and realized that no matter how hard this journey was going to be, I was going to get to where I needed to go come hell or high water – I will never forget standing on the shore of the now fenced off creek, just relaxing in the joy that is being in the forest.
It’s running through Tynehead park feeling like you’re being chased and dancing with faeries, it’s the library that now looks a bit like a boat, which I wasn’t keen on at first if I’m being honest, and all the wonderful development that this city has been through in the last 15-20 years.
There are a lot of truly amazing people who live in work here like the folks at Phoenix Center, who not only help people get off drugs, but also help them cultivate a life these people NEED to have, so they can be the best versions of themselves.
There are memories here too, memories that I probably won’t share, of secret bonfire parties and naked girls dancing on cars, and while I COULD say some of those memories are tainted by violence, the truth is that I prefer to remember the good times and burn the bad.
604North is my ode to Surrey BC, and that’s why I am taking all the clothes and items and collections down on August 31st (Use code LOVEYOU for a $10.00 discount on your whole order, today and tomorrow ONLY!!) and revamping the entire line to create clothes that promote a healthy body, mind, spirit, heart, connection, because for a lot of years I got stuck in the darkness of this place, and now I am finally crawling my way out.
There is a lot that I want to add to the line, but all of the cups, mugs, and other stuff will be coming down and my focus is going to be on doing clothing ONLY. I don’t just want to create items that might sell, I want to create one of a kind items that will sell EXCLUSIVELY.
Cannabis Coaching
For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a teacher, but I didn’t know what I was going to teach. For years people told me that I would start smoking cannabis one day when I was ready, and I didn’t realize what they meant until I started using the herb.
It took me a really long time to sit down and focus my energies on healing the trauma that I’d been carrying around and while I AM ABSOLUTELY NOT FINISHED YET, one of the things that got me through was smoking cannabis, and now I can officially say that I am sitting here preparing to work on the next section in a class I am talking on Cannabis Coaching so that I can become Certified.
This means that I will be able to take on clients and patients, it means that I’ll be starting my own LEGAL business, it means that I will no longer be sitting around wishing I had enough money to pay bills or go for a coffee, or being frustrated because I am stuck in the house because I can’t afford to go anywhere. It means, that MY dream of actually being a part of a sustainable economy in an industry that I love and am very passionate about, is coming true.
Writers for LMBG
One of the things that I have been DYING to add to this website is a collective of other writers specifically from around the world. I want to know and to share with you the voices of women from Iran, Pakistan, the Gulf Islands, China, Afghanistan, and one day that WILL happen, I just am adding it to the list so that you know that this website was ALWAYS meant to be a collective magazine of voices from around the world and one day I PROMISE you, it will be.
But….NOT until I can afford to pay my writers a living wage. I will NOT be one of those websites that builds content based on the backs of those just trying to get their voices out there. I want writers who are going to work hard and who will be able to say “I wrote for LMB AND I got paid.” That matters to me, because I know what it’s like to want to be a writer and not get paid.
Brand Development
For as long as I can remember I wanted to be in marketing, because I loved the idea of taking someone’s dream and making it a reality. I LOVED the idea of being able to say “hey see that commercial? I made that gold.”
This week marks the first week ever that I am going to sit down with a client and help them develop their brand, based on what I’ve learned from building LMBG, and other avenues, I am going to (for free) help them develop their own digital style and I couldn’t be more excited.
This is not a service I offer on the site, and this isn’t something that I do for everyone, but this PARTICULAR person is so amazing that I really want to see and to help them succeed. If it works the way that I THINK it will, I will be able to say that I did that, and then eventually I’ll be able to do more of it in the future….for a price. Eventually.
One of the things that bothered me growing up was that I wasn’t exposed to a lot of Brown girls who were blogging about their feelings, talking about their experiences, I want to be a part of making that happen for other women, I want to see them find their voices and I want to ensure that their voices get HEARD. If I can do that for a few people at no cost to myself or them for awhile to see if I am any good at it, then I’ll do whatever I can to make sure it happens.
Honestly I think that’s everything on the list for right now, and while I still want to work on my fiction blog, it’s my nonfiction work that has my focus and my heart right now and I think that’s because I spent sooo many years living in a fictional world so that I didn’t have to face the realities of the trauma that I was being forced to carry.
Now that I live in a world where no one on this planet, or in this dimension, or any other, for that matter, (hint HINT), is allowed to touch me without my permission, I don’t have to focus on the darkness and the times when people did the “dirty things” that I didn’t like, but couldn’t fight against.
In realizing just how much I’ve been through, and how many evil, awful, disgusting things, that adults did to me when I was a child, I realize that I really want to be one of those people kicking down the doors of kids who need help and pulling them into the light instead of letting them stay stuck with those who are going to steal the light of innocent children.
In order for that to happen, everything on this list has to get done, and for the first time in MY life at least, I can say that I now have a plan fully formed and written down, so that I can tick things off the list as I go …. as I move forward and find more and freedom in being my TRUE self, instead of the self everyone who THINKS they know me, wants me to be.
It’s a really cool time, because there were a LOT of moments when I didn’t think that I’d get to this place mentally and spiritually. Yes, on the outside, in my house, in my room, and in my world I have a lot of cleaning and organizing to do, but spiritually…I am starting to feel more and more like MY self, and that is a gift that I hope everyone on this planet gets to feel at least once in their lifetimes.
I am still working on raising enough money so that I can upgrade the website and add a forum of some kind so that all you beautiful readers can connect with each other, because I think forum chats are a truly lost art….but unfortunately that’s going to have to wait awhile longer.
If there is anything else you’d like to see on this website, PLEASE let me know in the comments below.
Sending all my love,
Devon J Hall
Loud Mouth Brown Girl 